Trehalose-containing topical drying composition and method of using same

ABSTRACT

A topical drying composition is providing containing trehalose as the effective moisture (sweat) removing ingredient. The composition may be used in aqueous form or preferably as a cream and in addition to trehalose it contains several ingredients such as sorbitan monolaurate, polysorbitan, a moisturizer, a thickener, a softener, an antibacterial agent and a pH adjusting component to adjust the pH of the composition between about 5.5 to about 7.5. Sterilized water is used as the carrier for the composition. 
     The topical composition can be applied to the area which is vulnerable to sweating after vigorous exercise in order to moisturize sweating on the skin.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No.12/214,863 filed Jun. 24, 2008.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to topical drying compositionand is particularly related to topical drying composition containingeffective amount of trehalose as the drying ingredient. In its morespecific aspect, this invention relates to a topical drying compositioncontaining an effective amount of trehalose which enhances drying theskin when it is topically applied to the skin of persons, such asathletes, after perspiration due to exercise, such as playing tennis,golf, aerobics or after other strenuous sweat-producing activities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Trehalose is a known non-reducing disaccharide composed of D₊glucoseunits. It is a white, odorless, sweet-tasting powder and, like maltose,is about 45% as sweet as sugar and has a very low hydroscopicity(moisture attraction). Trehalose is found in honey, bread, beer andseafood and there are several prior art patents relating to various usesof trehalose. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,164 discloses cosmeticcompositions containing trehalose which increase the penetration ofcertain therapeutically beneficial ingredients into the skin therebyenhancing the therapeutic effects of those ingredients on the skin. Thetrehalose is used in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and severaltrehalose-containing formulations are disclosed in said patent, such asshampoo formulations, hair-conditioning formulations, skin care gelformulations, lotions, and skin care creams.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,513 discloses the use of anhydrous trehalose as adesiccant for dehydrating various products such as dehydrated food aswell as dehydrated pharmaceuticals. High-quality food products havingreduced moisture content can be prepared by incorporating anhydroustrehalose into food products having relatively high moisture contentthereby converting the anhydrous trehalose into hydrous crystallinetrehalose.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,526 discloses an ophthalmic pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising trehalose as the effective ingredient. Asdisclosed in said patent, there are three types of optical isomers oftrehalose, i.e., ∝,∝-trehalose, ∝,β-trehalose and β,β-trehalose. Allisomers exert therapeutic and/or prophylactic effect on signs of Sjorgensyndrome.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,170 discloses a crystalline trehalose dihydrate withlow hydroscopicity. Variety of uses are disclosed for the crystallinetrehalose dihydrate, including its use as a sweetener, taste-improvingagent, in feeds and pet foods for animals, in soaps, skin creams, bodyshampoos, hair creams, moisture-controlling agent and a host of otheruses disclosed in said patent.

Notwithstanding a variety of uses of trehalose disclosed in the priorart patents, none, so far is known, recognize the efficacy of trehalosefor use in a topical drying composition.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to use trehalose ina topical drying composition.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a topicaldrying composition containing trehalose as the effective ingredient forsweat removal.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a topical dryingcomposition containing effective amount of trehalose and a suitablecarrier:

It is another object of this invention to provide a method of drying theskin by the topical application of trehalose-containing composition inwhich trehalose is the effective skin drying ingredient.

The foregoing and other objects and features of the present inventionwill be more clearly understood from the ensuing description andillustrative examples.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a topical drying composition containing aneffective amount of trehalose, in hydrous and/or anhydrous form, in anacceptable carrier such as sterilized water. The composition furtherincludes sorbitan monolaurate, polysorbitan and a pH adjuster in anamount to adjust the pH of the composition between about 5.5 to about7.5. The pH adjusting ingredient may be sodium chloride, potassiumchloride, sodium hydrogen phosphate and borax, or a mixtures thereof.

The composition of this invention may be prepared in cream form and thusmay include a thickener such as carbomer Ultrex 10, EDTA softener,moisturizer such as dimethicone 200, cocoa butter to impart smoothnessto the cream, and antibacterial agent such as sodium benzoate andpotassium benzoate.

The composition; whether in aqueous solution form or as a cream, isapplied to the skin in the areas which are vulnerable to perspirationafter vigorous exercise. When tested by several volunteers, theyresponded with virtually no perspiration after several hours of vigorousexercise in a gym on a bicycle or treadmill, or even after several milesof jogging when normally the subjects experienced perspiration in thepast when they did not apply the composition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The topical drying compositions of this invention are provided asaqueous solutions or preferably as creams with desirable consistency.The trehalose ingredient in these compositions may be the hydrous form,anhydrous form or mixture of the hydrous and anhydrous trehalose, andthe composition may include a “buffer” as hereinafter described in orderto control the pH at a desired level. An antibacterial agent may also beincluded in or due to impart antibacterial property to the composition.

The following illustrative examples describe the preparation of varioustrehalose-containing compositions containing various other necessaryand/or desired ingredients in addition to the essential ingredients. Allparts are expressed by weight and weight percent.

Example 1

204 grams of distilled water was charged to a reaction vessel equippedwith a stirrer, at room temperature and ambient pressure. Thereafter,2.5 grams of a thickener, (Ultrex 10), polyacrylic acid thickeneravailable from B.F. Goodrich, Co. was added slowly and mixed with thewater in the vessel, followed by addition of 1.5 grams of ethylenedramine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), with continuous agitation resulting inmixture A. The clear mixture was then heated to 45° C.

A separate mixture (Mixture B) was prepared containing 40 grams sorbitanmonolaurate (Arlacel 20 available from Ruger Chemical Co., Inc.) 85grams of polysorbate (Tween 20 available from Ruger Chemical Co., Inc.)23 grams of cocoa butter, 10 grams of dimethicone 200(polydimethylsiloxane) available from Dow Corning, a moisturizer havinga viscosity of 700 cps, 3 grams of 1% of sodium benzoate and 1.5 gramsof 1% potassium sorbate (antibacterial agent), and the resulting mixturewas heated to 60° C. with constant stirring. Mixture B was then slowlyadded to the vessel containing mixture A resulting in the formation ofhomogeneous cream. The resulting cream was allowed to cool to 35° C.,followed by the addition of aqueous solution of 40 grams of hydroustrehalose in 100 grams of sterilized water and mixed for 2 hours. Thefollowing table lists the ingredients of the resulting cream.

TABLE 1 Ingredient Parts by Wt. Wt. % Sterilized water 204.0 68.74Carbopol Ultrex 10 ⁽¹⁾ 2.5 0.06 EDTA tetrasodium 1.5 0.04 Sorbitanmonolaurate 40 10.3 Cocoa butter 23.0 5.1 Polysorbitan (Tween 20) 8.52.18 Dimethicone 200 10.0 2.57 Sodium benzoate 1% 3.0 0.77 Potassiumsorbate 1% 1.5 0.04 Hydrous Trehalose 40.0 10.2 TOTAL 334 100.0 ⁽¹⁾carboxy polymethyleneThe pH of the resulting cream was adjusted to 6.5 with 5% solutions ofsodium hydroxide.

Clinical Test on Formula No. 1

Six male volunteers ages 24, 35, 37, 42, 43 and 50 applied the creampreparation in Example 1 to the axilla of one arm only. After exercisingin a gym on a bicycle and a treadmill for (4) hours, they all reportedthat the axilla to which the cream was applied was completely dry butthe axilla of the other arm to which the cream was not applied was wetwith moisture.

Example 2

Following a similar procedure as in Example 1, another cream formulationwas prepared having the ingredients listed in the following table

TABLE 2 Ingredient Parts by Wt. Wt. % Sterilized water 203.9 64.9Carbopol Ultrex 10 2.5 0.7 EDTA 1.5 0.5 Sorbitan monolaurate (Arlacel20) 27.7 8.8 Cocoa butter 23.1 7.3 Polysorbate 20 (Tween 20) 8.3 2.6Dimethicone 200 10.0 3.2 Hyamine 0.1 0 Hydrous Trehalose 38.0 12 TOTAL315.10 100The pH of the resulting cream was adjusted to 6.4 with 10% sodiumhydroxide solution

Clinical Test on Formula No. 2

Three female volunteers ages 49, 53 and 59 applied the cream formulationobtained in Example 2 to both of their armpits. After exercisingvigorously on a treadmill for 2 hours, they reported minimal wetnesscompared to their normal experience when they did not use the cream.

Example 3

The formulations in the following table was made by the same generalprocedure heretofore described and was tested for its efficacy.

TABLE 3 Ingredient Parts by Wt. Wt. % Sterilized water 203.9 69.69Carbomer thickener (Ultra 10) 2.5 .85 Tetra Sodium EDTA 1.5 .51 Sorbitanmonolaurate 27.7 9.46 Shea butter 23.1 7.89 Polysorbate 20 (Tween 20)8.3 2.83 Dimethicone 200 10.0 3.41 Hyamine 0.7 .24 Hydrous Trehalose15.0 5.12 TOTAL 292.7 100The pH of the resulting cream was adjusted to 6.4 with 5% sodiumhydroxide solution

Clinical Test on Formula No. 3

Six male volunteers ages 24, 35, 37, 42, 43 and 50 applied the cream tothe axilla of one arm only. After exercising vigorously in a gym using abicycle and treadmill for (4) hours they reported very little sweatingin the armpit to which they applied the cream but the other arm sweatedas normal.

The same 6 volunteers applied the cream formulation of Example 3 butwithout including trehalose. All reported significant sweating of thearm.

Example 4

In this example the formulation did not contain the dimethiconemoisturizer but contained larger amount of trehalose.

TABLE 4 Ingredient Parts by Wt. Wt. % Sterilized water 204.0 64.95Carbopol Ultrex 10 2.5 0.80 Tetra Sodium EDTA 1.5 0.50 Sorbitanmonolaurate 28.0 8.90 Cocoa butter 23.0 7.30 Polysorbate 20 (Tween 20)8.5 2.70 Sodium Benzoate 1% 3.0 0.95 Potassium Sorbate 1% 1.5 0.50Hydrous Trehalose 42.0 13.40 TOTAL 314 100The pH of the resulting cream was adjusted to 6.4 with 5% sodiumhydroxide solution

Clinical Test on Formula No. 4

Six male volunteers ages 21, 22, 27, 29, 30 and 34 applied the cream tothe axilla of both arms. After exercising vigorously in a gym using abicycle and a treadmill for 3.5 hours, all volunteers reportednegligible wetness in their armpits.

Example 5 Part A

300 grams of distilled water was combined with 2.5 grams of carbopol 934and allowed to form a clear solution. Then 1.5 grams of EDTA was addedand the mixture was stirred until it dissolved. This mixture was thenheated to 55° degrees centigrade with stirring.

Part B

In a separate vessel 23 grams of cocoa butter was combined with 28 gramsof sorbitan monolaurate, 8.5 grams polysorbate 20, and 10 grams ofdimethicone. Then 0.4 grams of sodium chloride, 0.15 grams of potassiumchloride, 0.15 of sodium hydrogen phosphate and 0.1 of borax were added,and the entire mixture was then heated to 60° degrees centigrade.

Part C

Part B was then added slowly to Part A with vigorous stirring formingPart C, a white cream.

Part D

68.5 grams of trehalose, 3 grams of 1% sodium benzoate and 1.5 potassiumsorbate were added to Part C and the mixed well for several hours toform a cream having a pH of 7.0

Table 5 below lists the ingredients and the composition.

TABLE 5 Ingredient Parts by Wt. Wt. % Distilled water 300.00 67.11Carbopol 934 2.5 .56 Tetrasodium EDTA 1.5 .33 Cocoa Butter 23.0 5.14Sorbitan monolaurate 28.0 6.26 Polysorbate 20 8.5 1.90 Dimethicone 20010.0 2.23 Sodium Benzoate 1% 3.0 .67 Potassium Sorbate 1% 1.5 .33Trehalose Anhydrous 68.5 15.30 Sodium Chloride 0.4 0.09 PotassiumChloride 0.15 .03 Sodium hydrogen phosphate 0.15 0.03 Borax 0.1 .02TOTAL 447.3 100.00The pH of the resulting cream was adjusted to 6.4 with 5% sodiumhydroxide solution

Clinical Test on Formula No. 5

The test was conducted on two male volunteers ages 55 and 67. Eachvolunteer applied the cream to his face, forehead and one armpit andentered a sauna. After ½ hour they emerged from the sauna and wereexamined. Their face and neck showed signs of complete dryness and theirarmpits were completely dry. Their back and legs were damp withperspiration.

The test was also conducted on three basketball players ages 18, 21 and23 on an outside court at 82° F. Each covered his hands and forehead(without band) and armpits with the cream. After playing for ½ hour,their hands and forehead were free of moisture. After 2.5 hours theirhands and forehead was still free of moisture.

The test was also conducted on golfers ages 45, 56, 60 and, 64 on a verywarm day 90° F. Each covered both hands with the cream. After eightholes of play their hands were dray and they all claimed that the gripon the club improved with better control and they did not even need towear a glove.

The method of use of the composition simply involves applying by hand agenerous amount to the skin in the area vulnerable to sweating, andspreading the composition to cover that area. When using the compositionin aqueous solution form, it may be applied similarly, or from acontainer with an applicator or a spray nozzle.

While the aforementioned compositions have been described with certaindegree of specificity, it is obvious to those skilled in the art offormulating such compositions that several changes or modification maybe made which are nevertheless suggested from the foregoing detaileddescription.

Optionally, other ingredients may be included in the cream formulationdescribed in the foregoing examples. For example, the addition of abovine collagen (1% aqueous solution of alphahydroxy proline helprestore the elasticity in the skin along with 1% aqueous solution ofelastin. Also, while the hydrous trehalose is used as the effectiveingredient, anhydrous trehalose may be used instead, or in combinationwith hydrous trehalose. Also aqueous buffer solutions of trehalose,hydrous and/or anhydrous have been, found effective topical dryingcompositions.

1. A topical drying composition comprising trehalose as the effectiveskin drying ingredient, in an aqueous buffer solution.
 2. Thecomposition of claim 1, comprising trehalose in an amount effective forremoval of sweat or moisture from skin.
 3. The composition of claim 1,wherein the composition comprises a buffer to control the pH of thecomposition.
 4. The composition of claim 3, wherein the pH of thecomposition is between about 5.5 and about 7.0.
 5. A method of removingtopical moisture produced on the skin of a person resulting fromperspiration comprising applying to a desired area of the skin of theperson a topical drying composition comprising trehalose as theeffective skin drying ingredient, in an aqueous buffer solution.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the composition comprises trehalose in anamount effective for removal of sweat or moisture from skin.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the composition comprises a buffer to controlthe pH of the composition.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pH ofthe composition is between about 5.5 and about 7.0.
 9. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the perspiration is due to exercise.
 10. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the perspiration is associated with playing tennis. 11.The method of claim 5, wherein the perspiration is associated withgolfing.
 12. The method of claim 5, wherein the perspiration isassociated with aerobics.
 13. The method of claim 5, wherein theperspiration is associated with strenuous sweat-producing activity. 14.The method of claim 5, wherein the topical drying composition is appliedto an area of skin of the person that is vulnerable to sweating.
 15. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the topical drying composition is applied tothe hands of the person.
 16. A method of removing topical moistureproduced on the hands of a person resulting from perspiration comprisingapplying to the hands of the person a topical drying compositioncomprising trehalose as the effective skin drying ingredient.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the topical drying composition is in theform of an aqueous buffer solution.
 18. The method of claim 16, whereinthe topical drying composition is in the form of a cream.
 19. The methodof claim 16, wherein the perspiration is due to exercise.
 20. The methodof claim 16, wherein the perspiration is associated with playing tennis,golfing, aerobics or other strenuous sweat-producing activity.